Timber-frame Shed

Southern Song Imperial Kiln Museum, Hangzhou

The simple wood skeleton of this reconstructed shed is an example of basic timber-frame construction during this period. The roof was originally tiled (among other reasons, a heavy roof was actually necessary to stabilize this kind of frame). Dougong are not used in such simple buildings as this. Otherwise, the same basic elements and construction principles, that one sees in this humble shed, are also used in even the most elaborate palaces, residences, and temples.